Hydrating beating and refining machine



Oct. 13,1925. 1,556,926

E. B. FRITZ QHYDRA'IING, SEATING, AND REFINING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20.1924 2 Shoots-Sheet 1 .Z nvenfor Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES EDWARD BENTON FRITZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HYDRATING BEATING AND REFINING MACHINE.

Application filed November'20, 1924. Serial No. 751,051.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, iEDKVARD BENTON FR'IT'z, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented a newv and useful Improvement in Hydrating Beating and RefiningMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a class of machines which are adapted toreducing paper, rags, pulpand such other material as is used in papermaking to a consistency and relation fitted'to prosecute the manufactureof paper or paper stock.' My objects are several, as will be shown bythe description and claims; but my primary objects are economy-of space,economy of operation, economy of construction, economy of power, economyof time, maximum beating surface and gravity process.

In the paper making industry, in the preparation of the material forpaper, there are several very important processes carried on,'thecentral workbeing carried on in what is commonly known to the art as abeater,. which almost universally consists of some form of a vat orreceptacle in which the material is moved around in a course practicallyhorizontal, and which said material in the course of its travel is madeto pass through a constricted aperture at the point ,of which aperture arevolving rotor is horizontally functioned causing the mass to slowlypassthrough the aperture and in,

passing to come into contact withbeating or brushing surfaces. In thisprocess the mass moved and operated uponbeing more than 90% water-1sheavy, a .dead weight to lift and move, and the process is necessarilyrelatively slow-inyolving a large expenditure of power: the elements ofimpact, friction, resistance, and lift are practically at a maxi- "mum.In; most cases separate devices are usedto hydrate and primarily destroythe identity of the material before it enters the beater; and otherdevices are used to do the refining after it has been beaten in thebeater. It is also well known to the-art that the devices referred torequire a large .base area to accommodate them. In the device hereindisclosed the whole process of hydrating, beating, and refiningislaecomplished ready for the papermak ng' machine.

In applicants device-the base area is very small in comparison, themateriah in lts processmoves almost wholly by gravlty and Patent Number1,528,201, and is based upon the fundamental principles in thatapplication.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one form of my invention:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, with parts broken and cut away to show internalrelations.

Fig. 2 is an opposite elevation practically through the center of Figure1..

s Fig. 3 is a view of a rotor adjustment. d Fig. 4' is a perspective onedge ofa rotor isc.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged and somewhat exaggerated section of a rotor disc.

Fig. 6 is an inside edge view of a stationary disc, with a lower portioncross sectioned. 1

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the position and relation of th rotorsand the discs.

As shown the mechanism. consists of four major parts viz: a primarydisintegrating tank 10; a reservoir 11; a housing 14 containing heaters19, beating rotors 20 and associated parts; and reservoir 13 withassociated pump 25. 10 is a tank receptacle into which is deliveredwater and the mate- .voir 11 I provide one or more agitators 16 onshafts adapted to keep the mass from settling; leading from thereservoir 11 I provide a conduit 18 having an elongated opening or mouthwherethrough to discharge its contents into the upper chamber 12; Iprovide a housing 14 having therein a plurality of chambers 12superimposed one upon the other and having similarly elongated openings29 in each chamber communicating with the one adjacent; these chambers12 extend horizontally and are circular. In each of said chambers 12 apower driven rotor 21 is functionally jour n aled. These rotors may besynchronized, but I preferably. so associate these rotors that theywilltravel at different speeds. Be-

tween tank 10 and reservoir 11, and betweenreservoir 11 and upperchamber 12 I provide means of communication 18 and 28,

with gates or yalves 27, for regulating the flow the entry into upperchamber 12 being an elongated mouth, the lowest of these chambers 12 hasan openingto discharge its contents into a receptacle 13.

rotors consist of a shaft 21 and preferably assembled thereon amultiplicity of circular discs 20 having raised portions 23 thereon;these raised portions 23 on the discs 20 are designed tangentially forseveral purposes,

primarily they play the part of paddles in an overshot wheel and tend toassist in driv-- ing the rotors by the weight of the material fallingthereon, and secondarily they tend to throw the material outwardlyagainst the surfaces 22 on the discs 19; in this action the material isswished and brushed back ward and forward to accomplish a more perfectreducing of the same. The discs 20 are assembled alternating with thesemidiscs 19 as shown in Fig. 7 I preferably make these surfaceswithcorrugations, but they may be plain surfaces without departing fromthe principle 'set forth. The rotors are relatively thick at the centersand taper outwardly to their edges to function in conjunction with theopposite tapering'ofthe discs '19. I provide an adjusting means 24 inconnection with the bearings of each of the rotors assembled on theshafts 21 whereby to accommodate the various grades of material andeffect various degrees of refinement. The relation of the travel of thematerial and the direction of the rotors is indicated by arrows. In thedrawings I show three rotors in a like number of chambers, but thenumber may be ultiplied without in any way departing f m the principle,the basic idea being the refinement of paper stock through a unitaryprocess of superimposed chambers discharging one into the other wherebygravity plays the part of eliminating the raising or handling ofprocess. I provide a pump 25 with an outlet '26 associated with thereceptacle 13 for emptying the same or it may be used as shown to pumpthe material back into the reservoir 11 if it be desired to repeat theprocess, but this pump and its connections have no special limitationupon the applicants device. The conduits 28 and 18 areof no specificform except as channels of communication between the designated parts.In the bottom of the tank 10 and the reservoir 11 I provide respectivelyraised portions at the discharge openings to prepassing into the tat'orstherein for the purpose of maintaining the consistency of the materialon its course from the tanks 10 to the chambers 12. The materialentering the u'pper chamber 12 falling upon the rotors is by thesethrown outwardly against the surfaceof the discs which in turn tends tothrowthe material back toward the center and "downward, in the processthe fibers being brushed, hydrated and refined. The repetition of theprocess in adjacent lower chambers reduces it to the consistencydesired. By having the speed of each lower rotor slightly increased overits next higher rotor accomplishes the taking of a mass from the rotor'above faster than a normal delivery. This device fully utilizes theeconomical a plication of gravityto the handling and re ning of paperstock; economizes power; increases producti0n; provides continuousoperation, and secures progressive refinement. I

It will be evident that the principles here shown are subject-to variousembodiments, and I am limited only by the scope of my claims.

Claims: 1

'1. In a machine of the character described, a plurality ofsubstantially vertically aligned chambers, substantially verticallyaligned rotary heaters in said chambers, saidchambers having curved wallportionswith inweighty material by power as the common t wardly taperingdisc segments lying closely adjacent the surfaces of, said heaters, andmeans for feeding material to the uppermost of said-chambers, wherebysaid material is fed by gravity from each beater to the adjoining lowerbeater, said heaters and disc segments'cooperating to beat and refinethe same into a disintegrated hydrated homogeneous mass as it travelsthrough said machine.

2. In a machine of thecharacter described, a plurality of substantiallyvertically aligned chambers, substantially vertically aligned rotarybeaters in said chambers, said chambers having curved wall portions withinwardly tapering disc segments standing in spaced relation closelyadjacent the Surfaces of said heaters, and means for feeding material tothe uppermost of said chambers whereby said material is fed by gravityfrom each beater to the adjoining lower beater, said beaters and discsegments cooperating to brush, beat and refine the same into a hydratedhomogeneous mass as it travels through said machine.

3. In a device of thecharacter described, a plurality of substantiallyvertically aligned chambers, substantially vertically aligned rotarybeaters in said chambers, said chambers having curved wall portions withinwardly tapering disc segments lying closely adjacent the surfaces ofsaid beaters, said beaters consisting of a plurality of discs assembledon a shaft with surfaces lying closely adjacent the surfaces of saiddisc segments, andmeans for feeding material to the uppermost of saidchambers, whereby said material is fed by gravity from each beaterchamber to the adjoining lower beater chamber, said heaters and walldiscs cooperating to beat, hydrate and refine the same into a uniformhydrated mass as it travels through said machine. 7

4:. In a machine of the character described, a plurality ofsubstantially vertically aligned chambers, substantially verticallyaligned rotors in said chambers, said chambers having curved wallportions composed of inwardly tapering disc segments standing in spacedrelation closely adjacent the surfaces of said rotors, said rotors eachconsisting of a plurality of discs assembled on a shaft in spacedrelation with surfaces lying closely adjacent the surfaces. of said discsegments, and means for feeding material to the uppermost of saidchambers, whereby said material is fed by gravity from each chamber tothe adjoining lower chamber, said rotors and wall segments cooperatingto brush, whip, hydrate and refine same into a homogeneous mass as ittravels through said machine.

5. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of substantiallyvertical aligned chambers, substantially vertically aligned rotors insaid chambers, said cham rs having curved wall portionsconsisting of aplurality of inwardly extendin disc segments intermeshing with aplurality of discs assembled on a shaft constituting'the rotors, andmeans for feeding material to the uppermost of said chambers, wherebysaid material is fed by gravity from each chamber to the adjoining lowerchamber, said rotors and disc segments cooperating to brush, thrash,beat and refine the same into a homogeneous mass as it travels throughsaid machine.

6. In a machine of the character described,

a plurality of'substantially vertically aligned chambers, substantiallyvertically aligned rotors in said chambers, said chambers having curvedwall portions consisting of a plurality. of inwardly tapering discsegments, said rotors consisting of a plurality of outwardly taperingdisc members, said rotary discs adapted to alternate with the Wall discsegments, their surfaces substantially parallel, and means for feedingmaterial to the uppermost of said chambers, whereby said material is fedby gravity from each chamber to the adjoining lower chamber, said rotorsand disc segments cooperating to beat, brush and refine the same into auniformly homogeneous mass as it travels through said machine.

of a plurality of inwardly-extending corru-.

gated disc, segments intermeshing with a plurality of discs assembled ona shaft constituting the rotor, and means for feeding material to theuppermost ofsaid chambers, whereb said material is fed by gravity fromeach 0 amber to the adjoining lower Chamber, said disc segments androtors cooperating to brush, beat, hydrate and refine the fibrousmaterial into. a homogeneous mass as it travels through said machine.

'8. In a machine of the character described, a plurality ofsubstantially vertically aligned chambers, substantially verticallyaligned rotors in said chambers, said chambers having curved wallportions consisting of a plurality of inwardly extending tapering discsegments, intermeshing with a rotor consisting of a plurality ofcorrugated tapering discs. assembled on' a shaft, and means for feedingmaterial to the uppermost of said chambers, whereby said material is fedby gravity from each chamber to the adjoining lower chamber said rotorsand disc segments cooperating to brush, beat, hydrate and refine thesame into a homogeneous mass as it travels through said machine.

9. In a device of the character described, a plurality of beaterchambers one elevated above the other, rotary beater elements in each ofsaid chambers and a supply chamber above said beater chambers havlng aninlet supply passage leading from the supply chamber to the beater inthe uppermost of said heater chambers, each of said beate 130 chambershaving on a portion of its curve side walls a plurality of inwardlytaperingdisc segments, closely conforming to the shape of said beaterelements, said beater elements consisting of a shaft and assembledthereon a plurality of outwardly tapering discs, said side wallsterminating in restricted openings leading to the adjoining lowerchambers, whereby the materialf-romportions, a portion of the wall ofeach of said chambers consisting of removable in-' Wardly taperingcurved disc segments hearing an irregular surface.

11. In a device for the purposes described a housing containing avertical series of communicating circular chambers, a portion of thewall of each of said chambers consisting of removable disc segmentsinwardly tapering; a rotor'in each chamber having removable taperingdiscs adapted to intermesh with the disc segments, and means foradjusting the spacing between the wall disc segments and the rotor,discs.

. 12. In a device of the character described the combination of aprimary receiving disintegratingtank having therein mechanical means foraltering the identity of fibrous material, said tank havingcommunication with a reservoir on a lower levelsai d reservoir havingagitating means therein, and an outlet into the upper of a verticalseries of chambers inter-communicating, and each chamber containing amultiplicity of fixed tapering disc segments intermeshing with a rotorhaving tapering discs alternating with the fixed discs, an outlet fromthe lowest chamber, whereby material fed to the receiving tank is fed bygravity through the adjoining lower channel, said mechanically operatedmeans cooperating with the fixed means to hydrate, brush, beat andrefine the said material as it travels through said machine.

Signed at Chicago,'Illinois, this 12th day of November, A. D. 1924. v

' EDWARD B. FRITZ.

